It wasn’t that long ago that I was rhapsodizing about them, but lately, the LAST thing I want is a hot shower. Our townhouse doesn’t have AC. (Our new house doesn’t either, but it’s much better insulated and it’s pretty shady there.) We have a portable unit we bought in Oregon that vents out the window, and the townhouse had one regular window unit when we moved in. It wasn’t TOO big of a deal last fall because we moved in September and we only had a couple of really hot days before the cooler weather started. Now, though, it’s HOT. We’ve had several days in a row of 90+ degree weather, and the house is pretty much unbearable.
We’re keeping the window unit running in our bedroom 24/7 (can’t wait for that electric bill), and it’s the only room that feels nice to sit in (with, of course, no place to sit other than the bed). We moved the kitchen table and the portable unit into my office, so John and I are working together in the only other air-conditioned room in the house. Fortunately, it’s been a quiet week for meetings so we’re not getting on each other’s nerves. Unfortunately, the portable unit can’t keep up, so we’re still dying.
Today, even though it’s our first sub-90 degree day in a week, it’s still too warm in the house, so we’re camped out at Starbucks.
That is not the point I was going to make when I started writing. My original point was that COLD SHOWERS ARE THE BEST. Truly, that is not something I ever thought I would say. It has become a necessity to take an actual cold shower before bedtime, both to clean off the sweat that’s accumulated all day long and to cool down before sleeping in the only cool room in the house. AND IT FEELS SO GOOD. It’s so hot in the rest of the house, bathroom included, that I find myself lingering under cold freakin’ water. Maybe this is related to the pregnancy thing, too, but except for one incident, John has been as hot and uncomfortable as I’ve been. We were watching TV, relatively cool, and all of a sudden I was like, “John, I need you to point the fan directly at me, I am so hot I can’t stand it please hurry up”.
Not to worry – I can find something to complain about in the only cool room in the house, too. The window unit can only go in the window at the foot of the bed (lack of outlets and appropriate extension cords), and the air (which cannot be directed) blows directly on the pillows in the middle of the bed. When I’m sleeping on my left side, like I am supposed to do, facing the middle of the bed, it blows directly on my face. Consequence? I wake up every morning congested with a drippy throat.
When will life be perfect, huh?